On average, a tomato plant can yield 10 to 30 pounds of tomatoes. Depending on the size of the tomatoes, this can be roughly 20 to 90 tomatoes from a single plant. Tomatoes love the sunshine. A position in full sun (that means an average of at least eight hours a day) gives the best results in most areas.
The soil should be fertile, free-draining, and ideally shouldn’t have grown a crop from the same plant family (for instance potatoes or peppers) within the past two years. The soil should be kept damp 6-8 inches down in the ground around the root system to encourage proper growth.
Tomato plants need space – not only to reach their full potential, but to encourage a good flow of air between plants, which should help to reduce the threat of disease. Plant spacing varies, depending on the variety of tomato, but, as a general rule, space 24 to 36 inches apart in rows 4 to 5 feet apart.
Tomato plants need to be watered daily or every other day. The plants need 1-1.5 inches of water per week, but container-grown tomato plants need to be watered twice per day.
Pruning tomatoes encourages healthy production and provides better air flow between plants, which helps prevent disease and limit pest problems.
Tomatoes take 60 days to more than 100 days to harvest, depending on the variety. Due to their relatively long growing season requirements (and late planting date), most gardeners plant small “starter plants” or transplants instead of seeds after the weather has warmed up in spring.
Tomato plant
